


The Kids are Alright

by tonksremus



Series: 6 Queens + 7 Kids= 1 Family [2]
Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: F/F, Family Fluff, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:00:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25819972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonksremus/pseuds/tonksremus
Summary: The kids come to in a ball pit at a rather large and crowded McDonalds.
Relationships: Anne Boleyn/Catherine Parr, Catherine of Aragon/Jane Seymour
Series: 6 Queens + 7 Kids= 1 Family [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977577
Comments: 17
Kudos: 124





	1. Ball Pit of Life

**Author's Note:**

> It feels like overnight I have become obsessed with this show and fandom! This is just my take in how the kids could come back, and how they would find their way back to their mothers. Hope you enjoy!

The kids come to in a ball pit at a rather large and crowded McDonalds. 

Mary is the first to be fully conscious of the world. She remembers being in bed, darkness, and then this fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent? What is-- But she knows what it is. Like she knows what the large metal things outside are called (cars). And like she knows that she really wants a Bacon Mayo Chicken sandwich with a large fry and a chocolate shake. 

“What the bloody hell is going on. Why do I want 20 chicken nuggets?” A voice says from beside her that makes Mary jump in shock. Next to Mary is her half (fully vexing) sister Elizabeth. But it isn’t Elizabeth, not really. In place of her usually short, curly red hair, long and wavy red hair is piled on top of her head in the fashion of a sloppy bun. Her angular face was now a little rounder, and generally, the girl seemed to look happier than Mary had ever seen her.

More interestingly enough, there was a sleeping baby strapped to Elizabeth’s chest. 

Heavens above.

There was a baby strapped on her chest as well.

“Mary? What, in the name of the Lord, is going on?” Elizabeth asks her older sister.

Out of reflex, Mary slaps her sister’s arm, “Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain, Elizabeth.” Mary looks down at the baby, thankfully also asleep, that had a head full of strawberry blonde hair, “Is this--

“Edward?” Elizabeth finishes for her, “Yeah, I think, well, feel like so. And I’m positive this little cutey is little Mary.” She brings a hand to cup the baby’s head and toy with the little black curls. Baby Mary had been Elizabeth’s pride and joy before the girl died rather young. “My little leopard. How happy I am to hold you once again.” Elizabeth lightly kisses the baby’s head. 

Dear Lord above. What is going on? How were they alive once again? Her sister was no Jesus, that’s for sure. And not even the amount of religious studying and prayers would earn Mary this amount of the Lord’s favor. Was this hell? This hell isn’t too bad. While her siblings wouldn’t be her first pick in companionship in the afterlife, it could be worst. And little Mary would turn into a delight in a few years, and what’s a few years in eternity? Perhaps she would have a chance to--

A rather hard jab to the gut shakes Mary out of her musings of the afterlife.

“Mary? Can we get food, I’m starving. I haven’t eaten anything since I died. And for some reason, I’m craving chicken in the shape of nuggets. Oh, and a frozen milk slush with chocolate. And maybe--

Elizabeth’s, what Mary could only guess, long ramble is cut off by a plastic ball hitting her in the face. Quickly, and with the skill, she’s surprised to have still, Mary picks up a ball and throws it hard at the kid who hit her sister. For good measure, she glares at the child. While Mary would love to throw things at her sister to make her be quiet, only she could do that an not some filth commoner child. Mary notices an older woman, most likely the now crying child’s mother, walking towards them and sighs.

“We need to get out of this diseased ball pit. With haste.”

///

“Alright, so we’re dead. But not?” Elizabeth asks before shoving a whole nugget in her mouth, “We’re undead.”

Sighing, Mary dips her fry in her shake, “It appears so. And don’t talk with your mouth full.”

“Wicked.” Glancing down to baby Mary, Elizabeth smiles, “I’m glad the Lord blessed us with her.”

“Quite. Such a lovely child.” Mary looks down at Edward, “Him, not so much.”

Elizabeth leans to stroke Edwards's ringlets, “He’s not too bad when he’s sleeping and not stealing his sissy’s birthright. Who would have thought that little cutie would try and usurp his only siblings?”

Mary snorts, “He’s a male, after all.” The older Queen allows herself to glance over her sister. The new time, wherever _(whenever)_ they are, has already done her good. Her bookish, shut-in sister seemed to be a new person. 

“Mary?”

Mary is pulled out of her thoughts, “What did you say?”

“I asked what we were going to do next?” Elizabeth looks at her older sister, eyes wide with (undeserved if you were to ask Mary) trust. 

So much trust that Mary finds herself slipping back to her younger callousness.

“I don’t know.” Mary snaps, “Aren’t you, supposedly, one of the brightest of our age? Figure it out yourself.”

Mary watches Elizabeth grow smaller and cast her eyes to the floor. Elizabeth deflating like this would have brought a little sense of pride and glee to Mary a lifetime ago. But now? Now Mary just feels a wave of guilt wash over her. The feeling of guilt doubles as she watches her sister begin biting at her sleeve, a nervous habit the nannies had tried and failed to rid her of.

Clearing her throat, Mary tries again, “I mean, you’re obviously the smartest of the four of us.” Mary feels that familiar sense of pride come back to her once Elizabeth giggles into her sleeve, “What do you think we should do?”

Elizabeth puts on her ‘thinking face’ and is silent for a moment. Mary hadn’t seen that face in years; obviously, not including the years, they were both dead. The Elizabeth she left behind didn’t need time to think. She was a ‘quick on her feet’ know it all. Confident in every word that left her mouth and an absolute terror when it came to riddles in court. Mary allows herself to drink the rest of the delicious frozen, brown milk drink as she lets her sister think.

“Well,” Elizabeth drawls out, “in distant lands, you should always locate water and some sort of food source. Which you already did! And then safely survey and record the land and people at a safe distance.” Elizabeth nods assuredly to herself at her answer before looking at her sister, searching for a sign that she had been helpful.

Mary smiles, “Thank you, Lizzy. People watching it is then.”

Edward makes a grunting sound, and suddenly their booth is filled with a horrid smell.

“Oh, that little shit,” Elizabeth complains.

Mary gags a little before pinching her nose, “Alright new plan. We people watch as we figure out how to change his nappy and feed these two. I don’t know how, but I know they can’t have these milk slushes.”

Elizabeth shoves her last two nuggets in her mouth and chugs her milkshake, “Ready to go, Mary!”

There’s now a brown mustache on Elizabeth’s face and Mary can’t help but roll her eyes. Below the mustache is a big smile, and Mary can’t seem to place seeing it in their past life. She decides, at that moment, she’d do anything to keep it there.

Mary passes Elizabeth a black plastic card, “Go buy us two more milk drinks, and pie to share.”

“You’re the best, Mary!” Elizabeth snatches the card and tumbles out of the bench, a hand holding onto little Mary’s head.

_Not yet_ , Mary thinks to herself, _but I will be this lifetime, for all of my siblings._

///

They end up at a Babies- R- Us.

(“Just fascinating Mary. Babies can own businesses now.”)

Sweet baby Mary was still snoozing on Elizabeth’s chest, but Edward seemed to be having a blast kicking Mary in the stomach and pooping.

“Hey, Mary?” Elizabeth says loudly, too loudly to be so close to her sister as she rifles through onesies for Mary, “Where do you think that the card came from?”

“The what?”  
  


“That plastic card that seems to be some sort of currency here? The one you used to buy me lunch.” Elizabeth lifts royal blue onesie with a tutu attached to it for Mary to see, “Do you think I have one? And do you like this?”

Mary sighs, frustrated by the number of options available to dress her siblings. What happened to a simple white lace frock for babies, “I don’t know, check the bag on your waist. And that’s fine, I guess. Mary always liked the color blue.”

Elizabeth hums, “Yeah, her favorite color.” She reaches for the obnoxiously colored fanny pack and pulls out a wallet. She finds a black card with her name ‘Elizabeth Boleyn’ in one of the slots. There are also cards for a ‘Dave & Busters’ and the library. “Oh, Mary! Can we go to the library next! Please! There must be so so many new things to learn! Do you think they know how many stars are in the sky? And how are spices so abundant now? Also, what about why--

“Please Elizabeth, please shut up.” Mary groans as she allows her head to fall on top of Edwards. She feels something wet on her throat and knows the baby is licking her. “Lord, save me.” She was trying, truly she was. But the old queen could only handle so much of her sister’s academic pursuits. Times like these is when she really missed--

Mary gasps as more memories of her past life flood into her, “Cathy.”

///

They leave the suddenly too crowded store with a jumble of baby needs. Random blankets, clothing, and toys had been shoved into their cart as new memories began to come back.

Somehow in their rebirth, the sisters forgot about what haunted them the most in their past lives. Their (step) mothers. 

Now they sit on a bench at a park they stumbled on. Both too anxious to ask the other what they’re, unknowingly, both thinking. 

Little Mary coos and holds on tightly to a loose strand of Elizabeth’s hair. She sticks the hair into her mouth and begins to chew on it. 

“No, Mary. I don’t know the last time I’ve washed my hair.” Elizabeth pauses, “Or if it’s ever been washed. Where _did_ these bodies come from anyway?”

Elizabeth looks over her new body for the first time. “Look at these limbs. They’re all gangly. I must be as tall as Fitz now. And this hair?” Elizabeth brushes the loose strand of hair lightly against the baby’s face making her coo, “So long and wavy. I kind of like it. And look! I’m more beige instead of cream now. And you’re like full-on honey Mary. Your skin is so pretty; I’m jealous.”

Mary looks down at her hands, “I’m quite partial to the color as well. Never saw anything quite like it in our old lives. Perhaps we won’t always look as sickly anymore.”

“And we can tan instead of burning! Absolutely wicked. Do you think our mothers--” Elizabeth stops herself, shutting her mouth midsentence. Her shoulders scrunch up when she sees how tense Mary had become.

Mary huffs, “Do go on, Elizabeth. You know how much I hate when you grow meek mid-sentence.”

The younger sister looks away, afraid to finish her thought even more. She begins to chew on her lip, which is an even worse and bloodier, nervous tick from their past lives. Elizabeth had never done well with disapproval, at least at this age. And while she had died much older, wiser, and stronger, it seems that all of her growth had reverted to when she was 14. A lonely, 14-year old who just wanted her sister to treat her like they were actual sisters. Elizabeth had worked hard to become who she was when she died. And now it was all gone. She bites her lip harder.

Mary wanted to smack herself. She keeps forgetting that this isn’t the Lizzy she had known when she had died. The unbothered, brilliant sister she knew (though never voiced) was the best sibling to sit on the throne. Instead, her sister was a teenager again. A teen that Mary could do right by this time. If only Mary could get her anger under control; her emotions, just like when she had originally been this age, were boiling under the skin, waiting to burn someone who got to close. 

The older sister closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. While her old memories are fleeting and seem to blur into one long moment, Mary does remember the lip biting. Or more so the spankings Elizabeth would get after them. At least until Cathy. Sweet Cathy would softly cup Elizabeth’s face and speak to her in comforting tones as she brushed away the girl’s tears.

Mary opens her eyes to find her sister silently crying and a little bit of blood on her lips. She tries to replicate what she had seen Cathy do countless times and cups her sister’s face. “I’m sorry, Elizabeth. It has been too long since I’ve practiced kindness. It seems that I am rather bad at it. But that is no excuse for me to be cruel to you. Can you forgive me?”

Elizabeth jerks her head in a nod and sniffs loudly. There’s a moment of stillness before Elizabeth throws her arms around Mary’s smaller shoulders. “I love you so much, Mary! I’m glad we have the chance to be together again. But what if our mothers weren’t blessed with the same chance? What if we’re alone?”

“Then we’ll be a family of four.” Mary brings a hand to Elizabeth’s head and begins to massage it, something she remembers her sister loving, “We’ll figure it out, between your brains and my, well, skill at bending wills we’ll be ruling this country again in a few years.”

Elizabeth leans back from the hug and sniffs loudly, “Could we just be children for a while? I’m tired of court life.”

Mary kisses her sister’s cheek and pulls her sister into a sideways hug so that they aren’t smooshing the babies together, “Whatever you want, Sissy.”

Elizabeth nuzzles into Mary’s shoulder and lets out a sigh. She notices that little Mary and Edward are holding hands. Well, Edward (who is slightly older by a few months) is holding onto Mary’s wrist-- but it’s still cute. Elizabeth opens her mouth to point out their younger siblings cuteness when Mary lurches forward and points towards the road with a shaky finger.

“Lizzy, I don’t think we have to worry about our mothers.”

Stopped at a red light is a large bus with an advertisement taking up the entire side facing them. Six women stare at them, microphones in hand. Even though they didn’t look like their original selves, the girls knew who they were in a heartbeat. 

“Holy shit.” Elizabeth stands up and takes a step closer to the road to get a better look; even in a new body, her eyesight isn’t the best. The light turns green, and the bus takes off. “Did our mothers come back and make a-- a band?” 

“I don’t know what a musical is, but our mothers are in one.” Mary stands up, “And as the Lord as my witness, we will find them.” Elizabeth rolls her eyes at her sister’s dramatics but appreciates Mary’s need always to be a fierce leader. 

Edward makes a grunting sound again, and Mary and Elizabeth are engulfed in a cloud of horrid gas. As if inspired by Edward, Baby Mary shows off a gummy smile before screwing up her face and releasing a fart that seems impossibly too loud for something so tiny to emit. 

“Et tu, Mary?” Elizabeth coughs out; the baby responds with a gurgle as she burrows her head into Elizabeth’s neck.

“Elizabeth, it’s your time to shine. We must use your number one skill.”

Elizabeth frowns, “What’s mimicking got to do--

“No, no,” Mary cuts her off, “not your creepy little hobby. I mean research. That’s the only way we’ll be able to find them!”

For the first time since they’d been reborn in the ball pit of like Elizabeth feels utterly confident in her next actions, “To the library we go!” She stomps off, pointing in the air.

Mary follows quickly behind her sister, “And how do you know there’s a library in this direction?”

“I can feel it in my bones, Mary. Books call to me.”

“You’re absolutely mad.” Mary takes her sister’s hand as they walk, “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

///

The library ended up being useless. 

_(For Mary. Useless for Mary. Elizabeth had begun to cry the moment they entered the building. Mary doesn’t know how she’ll be able to get the girl to leave later. She fears the promise of chicken nuggets, and their mothers might not be enough.)_

“So out of all of these books, and none of them will tell us where our mothers are?” Mary sighs, letting her head fall onto the table. Edward, who was now strapped to her back, licks her neck.

“Books are only meant for important information. Where our mothers reside is not quite book-worthy, Mary.” Elizabeth hums as she looks at an Atlas of the world, “Seems like the Spaniards were onto something.”

Mary slaps the table, “Now is not the time for you to get into one of your academic spirals Elizabeth!” 

A cough from behind them causes Mary to spring up from the table. An older woman stands behind them with a kind smile, “Is everything alright, ladies?”

“Yes, thank you.” Mary smiles, “We are simply looking for an address and can’t find it in one of the dozen books my sister has picked up.”

The older woman looks over at the books, atlas, and encyclopedias, filling the table and laughs softly, “Well, if you’re looking for a local address, you might want to check on the computer loves.”

“The computer?” Mary and Elizabeth say at the same time. Information about the computer is unlocked in their brain all at once, and they turn to each other, “The computer!”

“We’ll be closing early for repairs today. You only have 15 minutes left. Do you want to check these books out?”

Elizabeth looks over at the pile of books, not mother search-related, and bites her lip, “No, thank you, they would only serve as a distraction. I know my limits.”

“Alright, then.” The woman looks at the two, odd if you asked her, girls for a moment before walking away.

“We must move fast if we want to use the computer,” Mary says, eyeing the only free computer left. 

Elizabeth stands, “No, I have a better plan. Let’s get out of here.”

“But we don’t have a computer Elizabeth.” Mary stands, “And I don’t think they’d take kindly to us taking one of theirs.”

“Oh no, I’ve got that covered.”

Elizabeth walks towards the door, and Mary does the sign of the cross and blows a kiss to the heavens, she was sure she would have to pull her sister out of the library. Mary rushes behind her sister.

“And just how are we going to research with no tools to research sister?”

Elizabeth points to a rather large store down the block. Instead of a sign with the business name, a large, white apple takes its place.

Grinning, the youngest sister pulls Mary towards the store, “It’s time we fully get adjusted to the 21st century, Mary. And that means technology.”

Mary gulps. While the information her brain supplied her with of computers is basic at best, she knows what they’re capable of. And she didn’t need to be reminded of what her sister was capable of. Her personality and sheer force of will might have intimated people in her past life, but most everyone was a fool for not being terrified by her sister’s intellect. Elizabeth having the world’s knowledge at her fingertips?

Lord, help them all. 

///

_( A few blocks away, six queens are getting ready to go on stage for their first show when Anne receives a text notification from her bank._

_“Oi! What the fuck!”_

_Kitty peers over her shoulder to read her text and whistles, “You got that new computer for Cathy! Aren’t you sweet!”_

_“I didn’t buy this! Someone stole my credit card info!” Anne covers her eyes dramatically, “Why does this keep happening to me?”_

_Jane tuts softly, “I told you to stop ordering things off of sketchy websites, love.”_

_Cathy walks in with a fuming Cathrine behind her. The oldest queen looks ready to spit fire, “Someone has decided to have a shopping spree at Babies-R-Us, the Apple Store, and somehow McDonald’s. How is it possible to spend so much money at McDonald’s?”_

_“Annie had her card stolen too!” Kitty tells Cathrine as she finishes her ponytail._

_“Yes, but unlike Anne, I don’t visit those off-putting sights. I don’t deserve this.” Cathrine complains, allowing herself to be immature for a moment, she stomps her foot._

_“Hey! My beanie baby sites are not sketchy or off-putting! They’re collector items!”_

_Cathay kisses Anne on the cheek, “Don’t worry, babe. We’ll dispute the charges--”_

_“Again.” Anna coughs into her hand._

_“--after the show. And then we’ll go home and look for Snort the Bull, ok.”_

_“I love when you speak Beanie Baby to me.” Anne slaps Cathy’s butt, causing the bookish woman to yelp._

_Two phone dings go off. Two queens groan._

_“The Adidas store!” They say simultaneously_

_Cathrine and Anne look at each other, eyes wide._

_“Those deviants are spending our money together.” Cathrine snaps._

_“I vote we hunt them down after the show Cathrine,” Anne says as she throws her phone on to her makeup counter frustrated._

_“We’ll hunt them down and--_

_Jane gives Cathrine a quick kiss, stopping the fuming queen in her tracks. “You can plan on what you’re going to do to these charlatans after the show, ok darling?”_

_Anna mouths, “Darling,” to Kitty and pretends to swoon. The youngest queen, giggles and offers her choker to her friend. Anna moves behind Kitty and secures the necklace around her neck._

_“What’s got you all smiley today?” Kitty asks Anna._

_The German shrugs, “I don’t know, I just have a feeling it’s going to be a good day.”)_


	2. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things aren't worth remembering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a few changes to the first chapter, so feel free to check those out before reading!

They’re back in a McDonald’s.

Obviously.

“Can you believe the advancements on garments? A zipper, truly astounding. I love it.” 

Mary rolls her eyes as she looks at the kiosk menu in front of her. “I do appreciate the skirts no longer benign so heavy and full. But I feel a little bare though.” 

The sweatpants/sweatshirt combo they had woken up in had gotten them some odd looks as they walked around the city. It’s a hot day, and two teens with babies sweating fiercely definitely got them some unwanted attention. The rather ill-lit store Elizabeth had dragged them into was… cool. There were pictures of men  _ and _ women playing sports, and that excited Mary. None of the sports were things she recognized, but she thought they looked...cool.

Cool.

Elizabeth had so many words to explain this time. 

Astounding. 

Genius. 

Revolutionary. 

But to Mary, it was just… cool. 

Everything about this new time was cool. For the first time, there’s no pressure on her to be perfect. No pressure to be Queen. She’s just a kid with her siblings. It’s cool.

Elizabeth begins to bounce in place, “What about how loose everything is now! I can breathe under this shirt!” Elizabeth’s chosen outfit of an emerald green tracksuit matched with baby Mary’s blue one, “Do you know how easy it would be to climb things?”

“Unlike you, I do not think about climbing every object taller than myself,” Mary sighs, “Now, what do you want to eat?”

The younger sister steps up to the kiosk and pushes random items before ordering a chocolate shake, “I want to experiment with flavor!” After feeling the unamused glare of Mary, she explains, “I want to know what I like and what I don’t!”

Mary pays and grabs a number, “Let’s find somewhere quiet to sit and search.”

The two sisters find a corner in the reasonably busy restaurant and sit. With a new iPad for Mary and a laptop for Elizabeth, the girls were now properly technologically fitted for the 21st century as well. They pull out their respective gear. 

“So,” Mary starts, “what’s your plan again?”

“I’m going to  _ goggle _ our mum’s musical, and then we’ll go from there?” Elizabeth begins to type on her computer, her fingers flying the longer she uses it. Mary frowns, realizing that her body and mind were not hardwired to be as tech-savvy as her sister. Even in this lifetime, it seems that Mary will never catch up with her sister’s intelligence. 

Slightly agitated and hangry, Mary fidgets in place. Her skirt all of a sudden feels way too short, and the hard plastic touching her thighs makes her feel cold.

“I hate this skirt. I should have gotten pants.” Mary complains. 

“Relax Mary, you look good! I’m sure  _ Anna _ would agree.” Elizabeth teases as she types away on her laptop

“That is inappropriate Elizabeth,” Mary snaps, “As usual, you don’t know how to control your mouth.”

Elizabeth laughs, “What, look at her!” She turns her screen around to show a picture of Anna from the internet, “She’s more attractive than last time!”

Mary glances at the photo before quickly looking away, “You are 14. Be more appropriate.”

“Almost 15, my birthday is in a few weeks.” Elizabeth pauses and tilts her head, “And I died like really old, I think. So I’m older than you. Anyway, Anna’s hottie.”

“You are the most insolent--” Mary stops herself in a huff, leaving Elizabeth grinning like a madman. This is more like her sister. The annoying, quick-paced quips that always sent Mary spiraling towards a homicidal rage. “Thank you, Elizabeth, that was exactly what I needed.”

Elizabeth nods, “I know. When in doubt tick off Mary, that’s like your factory reset. 

“I don’t know what this is,” Mary starts, “but I hazard to guess that you are correct.”

“As usual.” Elizabeth at looks down at Edward is still sleeping on Mary’s back from his bottle, “Should we be worried that he hasn’t like… moved or anything in a while.”

“No? He drank his entire bottle and the rest of Mary; I think he’s just full.” Mary guesses.

Elizabeth shrugs, “He’ll be his mother’s problem in a short while anyway.”

An employee comes to their table with a few trays full of food, and soon their table is covered in wrappers and dipping sauces. 

“So, did you find this musical?” Mary asks after they have eaten a majority of their food.

“Not exactly.”

Mary sighs, “What does that mean Elizabeth?”

“I found the music in their show. But I can’t find the show online. It’s kind of weird.”

“But I want to see my mother!”

“Unless you know how to find of it, the best we can do is listen to this album thing.” Elizabeth takes a sip of her soda, “How is it that I can execute a google search and you can’t even remember how to unlock your iPad?”

Mary throws a fry at her sister that lands in Mae’s hair, “Because you are an insufferable know it all.” Mary pauses, “Whom I love very much.”

“Nice Mary is kind of unnerving.”

“Just play the music Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth hands her sister one of her AirPods and presses the play.

The music is good.

Really good. 

Different.

But Mary loved it instantly.

Even with their new bodies their voices still sounded the same, which made both girls tear up. Mary hadn’t heard her mother’s voice in years, her dead years not counting, and listening to her mom felt like a warm hug. 

In what feels like a first for her, Mary feels like happiness is obtainable. 

She had her siblings. 

She’d soon have her mother.

She had a chance at having a real family.

///

Fuck family.

The album is over. Her fries are cold. And Elizabeth is fuming. 

“That was amazing, Elizabeth!” Mary is beaming because of course, she’s happy. Happy for once in fucking life. Good for her. But as usual, Elizabeth was left out. Forgotten. Not wanted.

Edward got an entire song to himself. A dreary little song about how much her Maman’s usurper loved the King and sweet little Edward.

And Mary at least got thrown a line.

But Elizabeth? Maman sang about not being sorry for the actions that caused her to be ripped away from Elizabeth. And Mother sang about loving and wanting to be with that bastard? Maman wishes she never married father? And to write with William? Who Elizabeth sponsored? Mother doesn't even want--

“Elizabeth?” Mary asks for the third time, looking concerned. 

Elizabeth realizes that at some point she had put her head in her hands. 

The angry teen shakes her head, trying to clear her mind. But that only makes it worse.

“Sorry Mary, have to go to the bathroom. Be right back.” Elizabeth rushes out of her booth and barely makes it to the bathroom before it feels like a bolt of lightning hits her brain. 

The first thing that comes back to her is her emotions. Wave after wave of exhaustion and loneliness wash over her.

Elizabeth had been so lonely for so long. Maman. Queen Katherine. Mother. Jane. Fitzgerald. Edward. Anna. Mae. Mary. The only people who really knew her-- dead, years before her own welcomed death. 

Next are her actual memories. Visions of her past life fill her head. It's painful. Sixty-nine years of life being crammed into her mind in 4k. Her fingertips clench the sink as she tries not to blackout from the pain.

When it’s over, and Elizabeth is saddled back with all of her memories, she stands tall for the first time since her rebirth. She remembers everything now. Every slight and heartbreak dealt to her by foe and family alike. She remembers Edward’s final and cruel words. The sound of Mae’s wet cough. And a broken and guilty gaze her sister set upon her before sending her away for the final time.

Elizabeth remembered. And she wouldn’t forget again. The question that tugs at her heart is, would she be willing to forgive?

“Oh, my little Mae-bee.” Elizabeth coos, somehow feeling even more affection for the baby than she was mere minutes ago, “Here we are. Reunited once again. It seems Margaret was right about reincarnation. Damnit.” She lets her fingers brush through Mae’s curls, “I barely wanted to live my last life... but at least I have you.”

Elizabeth notices her shaking hands and is reminded of what triggered her memories coming back to her. Her mothers. Her mother and Cathy.  _ (her mothers) _

Not a single mention of Elizabeth or Mae in their respective songs. Mary had gotten a jaunty line. And Edward had an entire fucking ballad dedicated to him. And Elizabeth? Left out again. Unwanted. Something she’s grown (had grown) to expect. But perhaps due to the young, hormonal body, Elizabeth feels ill with rage and a gut-wrenching sadness she hadn’t allowed herself to feel in a long time.

The now young girl kisses Mae’s head and breathes in her sweet, baby scent, “We don’t need anyone, my little leopard. We will not be anyone’s second thought in this lifetime.” 

A plan begins to formulate in her mind. A new life in a new world. Exciting, but dangerous. Precisely the challenge Elizabeth loved.

She walks out of the bathroom and back to her siblings. With her old memories now cemented in her mind, she struggles not to sneer at her baby brother. The last time they had spoken, he had been cruel. Cruel enough that a lifetime later, Elizabeth still had the thought to strangle him. But she couldn't kill a baby. That would be absurd. Perhaps in a few years, when he's older, she'll come back and maybe kick-- well, she’d be an adult, and he a child. Damnit.

“What’s with the face? You look… I don’t know if that is your sad face or angry face?” Mary says as a frown falls onto her own. That comment devoid of anger or contempt coming from her sister makes Elizabeth feel uneasy. She and Mary never recovered from Mary’s betrayal. Never. Elizabeth had spent the short years of Mary’s reign terrorizing her sister privately until Mae’s death. Even on her sister’s death bed, Elizabeth refused to ‘let the spirit of forgiveness’ make her crumble and give her sister the reprieve she was looking for. 

No. 

Boleyn’s held grudges, and Tudor’s sought revenge.

Elizabeth shakes her head, “Sorry, just thinking.”

Laughing, Mary leans back in the booth, smiling again. “As usual. Our mothers are true… rockstars? What an odd word. Anyway, wasn’t my mom’s song amazing? If only father could hear it now, maybe he can in hell?”

“Very catchy song. I’m sure father would hate it.” Elizabeth says as she glances out the window. The city is big. Elizabeth could easily get lost in it. Disappear, start over with Mae. She was sure the Sisterhood had survived, but even if not, she’d just start over from scratch. Whatever the future held in store for her and Mae, she knew the first step of getting there was by getting away from Mary and Edward.

“Mary? I think I know where to find our mothers.”

///

The bus dings. 

“Trafalgar Square.”

“So after getting off at Cambridge Circus--

Mary cuts off her sister, “We walk towards a place called PF Changs, and the theater is beside it.”

“Right.” Elizabeth sighs in relief. While she’s angry and wants to scream at the world, she doesn’t want her technologically illiterate sister to get lost in such a big, new world.

Eyeing the bus stops coming up, Elizabeth fiddles with Mae’s hands, “I’m sure after all of these years, your mother will be overjoyed to see you.?

Mary smiles, and Elizabeth tries to burn it into her memory. Smiling wasn’t something she’d seen her do much of before, “I am simply delighted and overwhelmed to be seeing her; it’s been so long. I think that I will hug her all day and all night.”

The bus stops.

“I hope it is everything you’ve wished for.” Elizabeth stands.

Mary eyes her sister, trying to figure out why everything felt so wrong all of a sudden.

“Lizzie?”

“Cathy had a point. I don’t need anyone’s love.” Elizabeth inches towards the open door, “I don’t need anyone. Just Mae and I-- like it’s always been.”

Mary stands up, “Elizabeth, what in the world--”

The doors begin to close, and Elizabeth jumps out of them, “Like my mom said, sorry not sorry Mary. See you in the next life!”

Elizabeth lands on the sidewalk and turns to watch the bus drive off. Mary’s shaken and furious face pressed to the window stares at her until the bus turns a corner. 

Sighing, Elizabeth begins walking down the busy sidewalk, “Just the two of us Mae.”

Mae lets out a tiny ‘eep’ as she looks at her big sister, a toothless grin forms on her face.

“Now, how about we go on an educational adventure?”

///

Mary stalks down the street seething.

What the fuck is wrong with Elizabeth?

Mary truly believes that God makes everyone in his image, but maybe he was a little reckless in creating Elizabeth.

A small part of Mary, the more mature one, understands that she’s upset that she’ll probably get blamed for Elizabeth running away. That the moment she’s been waiting for with her mother will be ruined, overshadowed by Elizabeth’s departure. How rude. To make Mary’s moment with her mom turn into a guaranteed shitshow with the older Boleyn.

And to run away in this new world? This new, scary, loud world? What an idiot.

An idiot that Mary is worried about. In their past life Elizabeth was, well, reckless with her body. Her younger sister had gone years without any familiar love. And the short years she had gotten the necessary affection was not enough to undo the damage of years without a mother.

Mary knows who she is. She knows she’s always been this way. A short fuse. Her mother called her ‘my Proud Bull.’ Mary’s always been like this. But Elizabeth had once been sweet. Such a sweet baby. Mary had wanted to hate her when they first met, but the precious little child had warmer her heart. And as she grew older, she became curious—so many questions. 

‘Mary can you teach me Spanish?’

‘Mary, why is the sky blue and not purple?’

‘Mary, where has Maman gone?’

After Boleyn was executed, Mary was no longer part of Elizabeth’s house because the toddler no longer had one. She didn’t have anyone. 

Then the delightful Jane Seymour, now Queen, had helped bring Mary back into the fold. Lady Seymour had been one of her mother’s most devoted ladies in waiting, perhaps Mary’s favorite. With Elizabeth being the most recent bastard to her father, Mary went back to being the favorite daughter. And to keep it that way, Mary had practically written off her four year old sister. She ignored every letter from the governess watching over Elizabeth and tried to forget her sister existed. 

Mary had plans to take back the throne, and she couldn’t let her fondness for her little sister ruin that. She regrets it now-- obviously. Unlike Mary, the hardships in Elizabeth’s life hadn’t made her indignant and downright obsessed with proving the world wrong. Instead, with every loss, Elizabeth seemed to become more and more of a shell of herself. 

And with this new chance, Mary and Elizabeth had the opportunity to have a healthy and happy life. Mary could be the sister and protector that Elizabeth deserved. 

But Jesus fucking christ Elizabeth was making it so fucking hard. 

Why wasn’t being a better person easier!

A little fist hits her cheek and Mary snaps out of her spiral. 

“Edward is there a reason you are being even more insufferable--” Mary looks down at her brother and finds herself unable to continue. Big blue eyes look up at her, with a wide toothless smile, “You are very cute, aren’t you?”

“Ri! Ri! Ri!” Edward squeals.

Mary blinks, “Are you trying to say my name?”

Edward lays his head in the nook of her neck and sigh, “Ri!”

“Yes, I’m here Edward. And soon we will have our mothers. And then we’ll hunt down Elizabeth and Mary. We’ll be one happy family this time.” Mary kisses her brothers head, “We should be close to the--

Someone runs into Mary, causing her to stumble back.

“Watch where you’re going, you absolute fucking moron.” Mary checks over Edward, who now has some sauce and shredded lettuce on his back. 

“Oh my god, I’m so so sorry.”

Mary looks up to see Lady Katherine Howard holding a spring roll in one hand and a small sauce container in the other.

“Lady Howard?” Marys says in shock; perhaps the universe was on her side. This Katherine looks healthier and happier than Mary had ever seen her.

Katherine laughs, “Lady Howard? I haven’t heard that in a while. Are you a fan of the show?”

“It’s me Lady Howard.”

Katherine’s eyes widen and she begins to turn away, “I’m sorry, I don’t think--

Mary stomps her foot in frustration, “You tried to teach Elizabeth how to play the flute, and she would not stop using it as a sword.”

“How do you--” Katherine stops herself, her eyes squinting, “Mary?”

“Yes!” Mary does a little jump, embarrassing herself as she does it. Even if it had only been ten minutes since Elizabeth abandoned her, it’s a horrible feeling to be completely unknown in the world.

Katherine drops her spring roll, “Holy shit.”

“I was dead. Then I woke up in a McDonald’s. And now I’m looking for my mother.”

Katherine just stares at Mary, her mouth ajar.

Huffing, Mary stomps her foot, “You are useless.” She steps around the younger (now older) woman and walks in the direction she was before being stopped.

“Mary!” Katherine pulls Mary into a tight hug.

Blinking, Mary tries to pull away, “Lady Howard, why are you hugging me?”

You can hug people you care about whenever you want now.” Katherine mumbles as she holds Mary tighter, Edward be damned. 

“Oh,” Mary says, surprised before gingerly returning the hug, “Well, I guess I care about you too.” 

Katherine steps back from the hug and smiles at her.

“It is nice to see you alive and,” Mary scrunches her nose, trying to figure out what else to say in this sudden emotionally charged moment, “with your head still attached to your body?” That’s something a normal person would say, right? “You look very well fed.”

Somehow Katherine’s smile widens, “I am! I get to eat whenever I want now!”

Mary nods, unsure what to say next. She gestures towards the theater building, “Can we--

“Right! Let’s go!” Katherine grabs Mary’s arm and drags her toward the back of the building, “So you and Elizabeth just popped up at a McDonald’s?”

Elizabeth? How did-- Edward.

Katherine must think Edward was Elizabeth, which makes sense. Why would the first and third child appear without the second? And Edward’s hair used to be more blonde than it is now.

“Yes.” Mary says slowly, trying to figure out the ‘not quite’ lie, “We woke up and began searching for our mothers. I saw your pictures on a bus.”

Mary can’t tell Katherine that she had lost Elizabeth. She just can’t. She can’t have the hunt of looking for Elizabeth ruin her reunion with her mother. Mary deserves as much. 

Katherine opens the back door and ushers Mary in, “Anna will love that. The bus was her idea. Your mom and Anne should be in their dressing room. God! This is so exciting!”

The hallways in the theater are like a maze. Each hallway seems longer than the next, and Mary finds herself feeling slightly nauseous. She must look it because Katherine stops walking.

“Do you want me to take Elizabeth?”

“What?”

“Your mom is probably going to smother you with hugs and kisses as soon as she sees you. Don’t want to smoosh Elizabeth anymore today.”

“Oh.” Mary’s brain seems to have stopped working. She’s going to see her mother. For the first time in 26 (add a few hundred years), Mary will be able to hug her mother. That was the thing she wanted most in her past life. More than her father’s love. More than queendom. 

“Are you ok Mary?”

“I’m just--” Mary pauses, “I am about to be happy for the first time in years, and I don’t know what to do.”

“You let it happen.” Trust me.’ Katherine holds out her arms to take who she think’s is Edward.

Mary kisses her brother's head before handing him off to Katherine, “Thank you.” She pauses, “And it is truly wonderful to see you looking so healthy Lady Howard.”

Katherine leads them down the hallways to a door that has ‘Catalina, Anne, and Anna!’ written on it. The performer opens the door, “Anne? Catalina?”

The room is empty.

And that is enough to push Mary over the edge. Her eyes begin to water. And she feels stupid. And sad. She feels stupid and sad. What’s a few more minutes compared a lifetime apart?

“Oh, Mary. They probably just went to grab lunch with Cathy and--

“Kitty! Everyone left to pick up lunch and go to the bank. Do you want to try sliding down the-- Mary?”

Anna of Cleves stands frozen in the doorway. She looks different. Way different. But her eyes are the same. And so is the lopsided grin forming on her face.

Mary’s sadness is easily replaced with excitement, “Anna!”

The German runs to Mary and picks her up in a bear hug. “Mary! You’re here! I knew you’d pop up eventually!”

Mary finds herself being swung around like a doll and laughing as she tries to hold on tight to her friend. “Put me down! Let me go you giant!”

“Never.” Anna eventually stops shaking her and simply holds her in a tight hug, “I’ve missed you.”

“And I you.” Mary squeezes harder.

Anna pulls back but keeps an arm around her shoulder, “How in the world did you--”

“I don’t know, I was dying,” Mary winces as she feels something akin to a pinch in her mind, “and then I was in a ball pit.”

“A ball pit?”

“It was disgusting.” Mary tells Anna as her nose scrunches up.

Anna laughs, “Of course it was! Kids shit in there!”

Mary slaps Anna’s stomach, “Don’t laugh!”

“Your mother will be so happy to see you Mary.” Anna squeezes her friend’s shoulder, “She’s been praying for this. We both have.”

Now it’s Mary’s turn to laugh, “Anna of Cleves, my Anna, praying willingly?”

Anna pushes Mary away before quickly pulling her back, “I can pray! I’ll have you know I ever go to church with your mom sometimes.”

“Once I see you complete a Rosary without falling asleep I’ll believe you.” 

They both laugh. It’s like no time has passed at all. Just Mary and Just Anna. Best friends again.  _ (something pinches in Mary’s mind again. something that makes Mary want to feel guilty. something that makes Mary wonder if she’s missing something. but she ignores it.) _

A cough breaks their bubble, and the two look for the cause of it. Katherine stands holding Edward with one hand and her phone in the other. 

“I texted Catalina and Cathy.” Katherine eyes the two with brief confusion before smiling again.

“Is that Elizabeth? I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this quiet.” Anna jokes before going to pick her up from Katherine.

Not wanting to lie to her friend Mary stays quiet as she looks around the room. There’s a large mirror divided into three stations on the other side of the room. Each station is color coded and decorated differently. Mary can spot her moms right away. At her mother’s station, there is a flag for Spain and a bible. The teen walks to the station and picks up a pointy head accessory.

“Your mom’s crown from the show.” Anna says from behind her.

“Hmmm.” Mary is some reason transfixed by the accessory and places it on her head.

“Jesus, you look just like her.” Anna laughs as Mary turns around and scowls at her, “You even have the same frown for me taking the Lord’s name in vain and everything.”

“Serves you right.” Mary responds as she turns back around to look at herself in the mirror. Nothing is recognizable in this body. Even the hair color is off. Still red though. Not as bright as coppery as Elizabeths or bright as Edward, but still enough to be recognized as a Tudor child. “It’s odd, isn’t it. To be in a body you hardly recognize?”

“Tell me about it.”

Mary looks at Anna through the mirror, “You’re still beautiful, somehow even more so, which doesn’t seem fair.” The teen clocks how quickly Katherine frowns from her compliment to Anna. Interesting.

“Anna, what do--

The dressing room flies open and a green blur spills into the room.

Anne Boleyn smiles around a lollipop and points at Katherine, “What’s the surprise?! I want my surprise!” Anne notices Mary standing by the mirror and tilts her head, “Are we doing some sore of meet and greet?”

“We’ve unfortunately met before Boleyn.” Mary responds with a roll of her eyes. 

Anne stares at her. Mary can see her trying to piece together why the teen felt so familiar. 

“Anne, what have I told you about rolling through the corridor during business hours? It is dangerous.”

Catalina of Aragon walks into the room unaware of what she is stepping into, “Oh, who’s baby is this?”

Katherine points to Anne.

“What?”

Anna gestures for Catalina to turn around. Catalina does so, so fast that she nearly topples.

Mary, suddenly losing all of her courage, raises a hand and pathetically waves at her mother for the first time in centuries, “Hello Mama. Your crown is very… cool.”

Catalina throws herself at her daughter, “My Mary, is it really you? Has God answered my prayers?”

Mary tucks her face into her mothers neck and takes a deep breath. Her mother still smells the same. Spices and old wood. “Yes. I’m here. We’re together again.”

There aren’t any other words to say. No questions. No promises. Just a moment between a mother and daughter that had been prayed for and dreamed of for years. They stand there, breathing in synch, for a moment that feels like all they have ever known, but at the same time not long enough. 

They are broken out of the bubble by the rustling of bags and the aroma of Italian food.

“They were out of fruit salad, so Jane said we had to eat the regular salad.” Hearing Catherine Parr’s voice again sends a shiver down Mary’s spine. Out of all of her stepmoms Catherine had taught her the most. Her death makes Mary feel a particular type of anger that feels nearly homicidal. The pinch is back in her mind, and it’s harder for her to push down. There was something about Catherine that made Mary want to… want to… remember.

Jane Seymour walks into the room, “And you lot are going to act like adults and eat it.” Even though Jane giving birth to a boy really put a wrench in her plans, Mary was still happy to see the other woman looking so healthy. Jane stops when she sees Anne holding Edward, “That’s a baby.”

Catherine is looking at Edward, “Is that?”

Mary watches Jane look around desperately for another child, and suddenly Mary realizes how cruel it is what she’s about to do. She feels like a monster.

The pinch in her mind has turned into a stabbing feeling. 

**M O N S T E R**

Anne is staring at Edward, “I don’t think this is Elizabeth.”

**M O N S T E R**

Mary winces as what feels like a hot blade twist in her brain.

“Mary said--

“I never said that was Elizabeth, Lady Howard. You just assumed so.”

“That’s Edward,” Catherine whispers.

Jane quickly takes the baby out of her cousin’s hands and holds him close, “My sweet baby boy.”

“But why- why would Edward…” Catherine trails off as she pulls Anne, who is now crying, into a tight hug.

Anne’s crying. Catherine’s crying. Katherine looks scared. And her mother looks disappointed? Sad?

**M O N S T E R**

Mary tears herself away from her mother and wraps her arms around herself. Her brain feels like it was on fire, and the exhaustion of the day is finally hitting her. 

Her mother takes a step towards Mary, her eyes soft, “Mary, where’s Elizabeth?”

All of the occupants of the room are looking at her now. 

Staring at her like she’s something to be careful of.

**M O N S T E R**

“Why are you looking at me like that. I’m not a monster.” Mary whispers as she begins to rub her eyes hard, the pressure keeping her grounded. She backs herself into the corner of the room. The stares are making her feel even more unwell.

“No one is saying--

“Mary. Where is my daughter!” Anne shouts as she begins to walk towards the teen.

“I don’t know.” Mary screams back. Anger. Mary can handle anger. It’s the emotion she knows best, and she knows just what to do with it.

“What did you do?!”

**M O N S T E R**

“Watch your tone Anne.” 

“Mary wouldn’t do anything to Elizabeth.”

Her mothers and Anna come to her defense. But Mary doesn’t need it. If Boleyn wanted to treat Mary like a monster, then she’d get one.

“What did I do? I didn’t do anything.” Mary smiles coldly at Anne, “She’s the one who ran away.”

Anne takes a step back as if she were slapped. Mary can taste the blood in the water and she pounces.

“That’s right. I wanted to find my mother, but it looks like Elizabeth had other plans.”

Edward begins to wail. He’s staring at Jane with wide eyes. The baby looks around the room as best as possible and cries harder, not recognizing anyone. He sees Mary and begins reaching for her. Jane tries to shush the boy as she bounces in place but it only makes it worse. His screams get louder.

Anne runs out of the room, and Catherine follows her. The surge of pride Mary had received shutting up Boleyn seemed to completely dissipate at the sight of the shaken Catherine. 

Mary likes Catherine. Even loves her. Elizabeth had really fucked this entire thing up. How was Mary supposed to tell Catherine that not only did her adoptive daughter run away but that Elizabeth had taken little Mary with her. 

**M O N S T E R**

This time the pain is enough to make her knees buckle. Thankfully her mother is beside her right away, “Mary, let’s get you to the couch.” 

The room spins in Mary’s vision as she stumbles her way to the couch.

“Mi torito, can you drink some water for me?” 

Mary nods as she tries to suppress the pain. She registers her mother leaving her side, and Anna sitting next to her. 

Edward is still screaming loudly, his face now red as he reaches for Mary.

Mary opens her arms, “Jane give him here. He can cry all day, trust me.”

Jane holds Edward closer as Edward tries to pull away. 

“Ri! Ri! Ri!”

“I don’t want to let him go.” Jane whispers.

Mary scooches on the couch to the point she’s practically in Anna’s lap to give Jane a place to sit. Jane places Edward in Mary’s lap before sitting next to her. Edward stops screaming as he nuzzles into Mary's neck while grabbing a fist of her hair.

Mary kisses her brother before looking him in the eyes. “Edward, why are you fussing so much. That is your mother.” 

Jane grasps onto his foot and squeezes, “I’ve waited so long to meet you.”

Edward peers over at his mother before hiding in Mary’s neck again. 

“You are being silly Edward.” Mary rubs his back, more for her sake than his, holding Edward is like holding a little heater to her chest. Edward also seems to numb the pain radiating from her head thankfully. “And she wrote you such a sweet song.”

“Are we just not going to talk about what happened?” Katherine blurts out from her corner of the room.

Mary, Jane and Anna look at her in surprise, none of them even registering that she was still in the room. Catalina enters the room with a cup full of ice and a large bottle of water.

“Drink this slowly Mary. Are you feeling ok?” 

“ Si mamá, solo me duele la cabeza.” Mary tells her mom before chugging the water in front of her.

“I guess so.” Katherine mumbles to herself as she sits down, realizing that she has not part in what's going on. 

“Slowly Mary!” Her mother chastises as Mary begins to cough.

Anna pats Mary’s back, “It’s not a contest to see how fast you can drink it Mary.”

“Everything is a contest Anna.” Mary smiles at her friend before handing the empty bottle back to her mom. “The water looks and tastes so clean. I haven’t had any water since I woke up, but I have had something called Cherry Coke, and I love it.”

Catalina is eyeing how close Mary is sitting to Anna with a small frown, “Anna move, I want to sit next to Mary.”

“Jane, move so Catalina can sit next to Mary.” Anna huffs, not wanting to separate herself from her only friend from her past life. Jane reaches for Edward, who begins to cry as soon as she touches him. And sighs and stands up, “Fine.” She sits down on the floor in front of Mary.

Catalina takes the German’s place and wraps her arm around her daughter.

Mary turns Edward around so that he can face her mom, “Edward, this is my mother. Queen Catalina of Aragon. House Trastámara. Can you be a good Prince and say hello?”

Surprisingly Edward does say ‘hello’ in his own little way; he shows off a gummy smile and reaches for Catalina’s hair.

“Are you kidding me?” Jane asks herself.

“It’s the hair.” Catalina says a little sheepishly, “Babies love curly hair.” 

Catherine walks back into the room, this time Anne behind her. Anne’s face is red and blotchy, evident that she’s been crying hard. Anna stands up, partially blocking Anne from Mary.

“You weren’t lying when you said Elizabeth ran away?”

“No.”

“Do you swear it?” Anne asks, biting at her lip.

Mary nods, “I swear it.”

Anne nods once before turning to Catherine, who smiles gently at her. “Good.” Parr says, “Now Mary, would you mind telling us how you got here. Any details will help us find her.”

Mary sighs, knowing she has one more truth to tell, “Can everyone sit down? You’re making me nervous.”  Chairs are dragged in front of Mary, and soon she feels like she’s in court again. “First, I should say that Elizabeth isn’t alone. She-- Mary came back with us.”

Catherine’s eyes widen, “My Mary?”

Before Catherine can ask any questions, Mary starts retelling her day. “We woke up in a McDonald’s…”

It feels like she’s in a trance as she recounts her day. It shouldn’t be this hard to recall three hours ago, but her mind feels like porridge.

“I don’t remember what stop she got off of.” 

“So you don’t remember what she was wearing or which library you went to? Great.” Anne huffs.

Mary is trying to fill in the blanks when her mother stops her.“Mary, do you need to take a break?”

“She can’t take a break Catalina.” Anne snaps. “What did she do next?”

“It’s fine Mama, I’m fine.” Mary rubs her eyes, “She told me that she didn’t need anyone’s love. And then said ‘sorry not sorry Mary, I’ll see you in the next life’ like a little asshole.”

Anne’s face is pale, “That’s what she said to you?”

“I was surprised. I mean, besides her abandoning Edward and me. She didn’t seem to like the musical very much. She was fine until we… until we listened to it.” Something in Mary’s mind snaps like a rubber band, and things fall into place. “She didn’t leave because of me, she left because of you!”

“Mary.” Her mother warns, placing a hand on her child’s leg.

“You didn’t mention her at all. Neither did Lady Parr. Lady Seymour wrote an entire, somewhat obsessive, song about Edward and father. And my mother at least mentioned me.” The stabbing feeling comes back.

Anne shakes her head, “No, that can’t be--

“And she really did not like Lady Parr’s song. Beautifully sung, but whoever the man you spoke of seemed to make Elizabeth now that I think about it, she frowned the entire duration of the song.”

Cathay blinks hard as her head tilts, “The man I spoke of? Do you-- do you not remember?”

“Remember wha--”

Mary blacks out for a moment. The air is forced out her lungs and she swears her heart stops beating. An image of a man and the feeling of immense hate fills her. She finds herself blinking away the tears as she hears her mother calling her name.

“Mary. Mary, baby, what’s wrong.”

“I don’t know.” Mary croaks out.

Anna kneels in front of Mary and takes her hands, “I don’t think you have all your memories back. Is that why you keep wincing? Your brain feels like it’s about to explode?”

“Yes. But I’m fine, just a headache, really.” 

“Do you-- Do you remember any possible correlation between Kat--

“Who?”

“Katherine. Lady Howard. Do you remember any correlation between her and Elizabeth?” Anna asks her, her eyes soft as she rubs soothing circles onto Mary’s hand.

“They’re cousins, both like music,” Mary stops herself as quick flashes of images fill her mind, “Seymour.” She growls.

Anna nods slowly, “Right. Do you remember what you wore for your coronation?”

Mary shakes her head, too scared to speak.

“Anna that’s enough; you’re going to wear her out.”

“We need her to remember Catalina, we need to find Elizabeth.” Catherine tells her godmother. 

“Well I need Mary to be healthy and safe. Look at her!”

Anna ignores them as she continues to look into the shaking Mary’s eyes, “And do you remember our fights?

Mary closes her eyes and shakes her head, “We don’t fight Anna. We’re friends. We debate. Never fight.”

She can feel the dam in her mind about to break. Something is bubbling inside of her that threatens to spill over. Mary’s not sure what will happen when it does, so she tries to keep it reigned in. 

Anna shakes her head, “We do Mary, well we did. Do you remember sending me away?”

Send Anna away? She would never. She loved Anna. Loved her. She could never.

**M O N S T E R**

But she did. She remembers now. A fight. A big one. With screaming and throwing of things. 

“Anna. I’m sorry. I was wrong,” Mary sobs, “I’m so, so sorry.”

“That’s all in the past, Lieber.” Anna squeezes her hand, “Now think, what was that fight about.”

Mary feels the dam breaking. There are shivers running through her body, and she feels faint.

“I don’t want to know.”

“Mary, can you remember?” 

Mary shakes her head, “Anna stop, I don’t-- I can’t. Mama, I want to leave. Can we leave?”

Catalina looks at Anne and Cathy who are holding each other's hand tight. The urge to be selfish is strong, to just take Mary and leave to let the teen rest. But she knows that she’d be devastated if Mary was lost somewhere in the city, away from her after all of these years.

“Mi torito. Can you try, for me?” Catalina asks her daughter, already feeling guilty for the pressure she was putting on her.

“I don’t want to be a monster.” Mary whispers to herself as she feels a fiery sensation begin to consume her. 

“Mary, why were we fighting?” 

“Because I was a monster.” 

**M O N S T E R**

**M O N S T E R**

**M O N S T E R**

Images of burnt corpses and the smell of burning flesh assault her senses. Her memories from her past life come flooding into her. Her body is rigid, and she’s unable to move. Mary feels Edward being taken out of her grasp before she slumps forward into Anna’s arms. There’s something wet on her face. She’s able to peer down on her face to see that her nose is bleeding- a lot. 

Her mother is screaming now, Edward decides to make it a duet and joins in.

Consciousness is slipping from Mary now as more and more images fill her brain. She lets out a sigh as the pain becomes so much that it just feels like she’s burning.

“Monster.”

She passes out. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mi torito: my bull
> 
> Si mamá, solo me duele la cabeza: Yes mom, my head only hurts
> 
> Lieber: dear one
> 
> The next chapter will come AFTER a stand-alone piece before this story. I've been character-building a lot for this story so there needs to be another installment just focusing on the Queens to understand what happens next. So make sure to subscribe to the series. 
> 
> Also! It'll be explained more, but in no way am I shipping a 16-year-old Mary with a 21-year-old Anna. They just have history, and that's all I have to say for now lol.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a two parter. I have a one-shot I want to finish and post that belongs in this series before posting the next chapter. Hopefully, I'll have the one-shot done by Friday! Have a great week everybody!


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